Suddenly Six!: One year of bloggin'...and some fall fun!

It has been about a year since writing my first entry in "Suddenly Six." I was twenty weeks pregnant and didn't have a clue as to how I was going to do this. You can read the first entry here: First blog entry

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed, but there was nothing I could do about it. The babies were growing inside me each day, and I knew that I would somehow have to deal with my new life.

Caleb waving to us in the womb

I felt like I was on a raft, drifting down a river with my hands tied behind my back and there was a waterfall on the horizon. It was totally out of my control, but I knew it was coming and I’d have to do the best I could to stay afloat.

I remember thinking last October that my boys would already be 8 months old when we went trick or treating again.

Trick or treating with Evie last year

Now here we are. I have their Goldilocks and the three bears costumes all ready.

Whenever I hear someone else's newborn shrieking I shudder a bit. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed as much as I could that newborn stage; but I do not want to go back to it.

I really do have sort of a rhythm to my days now, a new life, a new way of doing things.
Looking back at my journal entries from a year ago I had so many questions and concerns and fears.

I wish I could go back to myself and whisper, "Hey, everything is going to work out ok."

Evie and the boys (18 weeks pregnant) last year at the pumpkin patch

Moving forward, I hope that I will be able to look back on this blog and remember God's faithfulness and how he constantly provided in every way for me.

I hope that I can gain courage; things do seem impossible when we look at a situation as a whole. I'm learning that life is a day-by-day type of thing. I don't even know how we got from me being 20 weeks pregnant to having 8 month old triplets.

But here we are, and it's good to look back so that I can face the future.

I made a list last night of all the things I worried about a year ago. Then I thought about how all of those concerns ended up working out, and I realized that none of my fears actually materialized. Here are some of them:

WORRY:

" Everyone tells me that triplets are born really premature and therefore will face many life-threatening complications and they will have to stay a long time in the NICU."

Reality:

By the grace of God, I carried those boys to 36 weeks...each 5 lbs, completely healthy, no NICU stay!

Worry:
"How am I going to function on no sleep and then take care of Evie all day!?!"

Reality: The boys got on a very regimented sleeping pattern quickly. My mom sacrificed her sleep to help care for the boys during the night and Evie during the day during those first few weeks. We had the resources to hire a night nanny twice a week so that everyone got a full nights rest.
We insisted the boys sleep through the night by 3.5 months.

Worry:
"How are the boys going to feel loved enough and cared enough when I have three of them and Evie!?"

Reality: We have Amanda who truly loves on our boys. We have family who help out and makes sure each one gets attention. The boys also have each other, and I'm realizing how amazing the gift of their relationship is.

Worry:
"I already feel guilty for not spending time with Evie like I used to!"

Reality: Having Amanda here has allowed me to be able to spend a lot of time with Evie still. Plus, Evie is starting to take interest in caring and looking after the boys with me. And it's also so good for her character to "share" mommy.

Worry:
" I'll never be able to leave the house! "

Reality: I get out a lot, way more than I thought I ever would, largely due to Amanda's help and my in laws who are a phone call away.
We've flown to Chicago and back...we go to the gym, to church, to farmers markets and library story time. We bought a sweet triplet stroller. I can get out with just Evie when I need to. Never would I have thought I'd have this flexibility.

Worry:
"I'll never work out again!"

Reality:
I work out even more than I used to because having good child care at the gym is such an incentive to get there!

Worry:
I'll never see my girlfriends again or have any sort of social life.

Reality:
I make an effort to go out after the kids go to bed at least once a week to see friends because we have the bed time routine down to a science. It's good for the soul to make that a priority!

Worry:
"How am I going to love all three boys the same?!"

Reality:
I can't imagine one of them not being here....together...like they are supposed to be. I love each one for the unique little person they are. And I still have all my love for my girl Evie. It's amazing how that works.

So, as I reflect on all that has taken place in one year, I truly am excited to see what the next one holds, and it will be fun to look back a year from now and see how everything turned out.

As for our fun fall activities, the Patton clan visited the pumpkin patch last week!

We dressed everyone up in plaid and the boys wore overalls.

"What should I do? I guess just look cute."

"What are they doing to me?!"

"All I want to do is break free and crawl through the hay"

Someone is in a good mood today

The weather was perfect.

Evie had fun riding the pumpkin train with Amanda

and boys enjoyed being wheeled around holding their pumpkins.

I know that each year will just keep getting more and more fun, and it excites me that all these traditions have just begun and we have many more years of memories to make.